Game apparatus.



J. F. DREYER.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.5. 1912.

1,121,989. Patented Dec; 22. 1914.

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JAMES F. DREYER, OF FRANKFORT, INDIANA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

Application filed March 5, 1912. Serial No. 681,689.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES F. D anna, a citizen of the United States, residing at Frankfort, in the county of Chnton and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I My invention relates to new and useful improvements in game apparatus and has for itsobject to provide a parlor game for the entertainment of young folks at home and for social gatherings. With this ob ect in view I have added new features that will produce almost innumerable changes, and surprising results, in the finlshmg plays which makes the game very attractive and exciting.

Specifically stated the game consists in the use of a plurality of diamond shaped blocks, provided with colored characters, preferably in the form of round or oblong pips denoting the number of the various blocks, the colors of the pips serving to dlst ngulsh the blocks of the competing players. The game consists in playing the blocks on the table in a manner so as to fill up a complete hexagon wherein the numbers on the blocks constituting the star within the hexagon must be in consecutive order from one to slx, reading from the left to right, while the numbers on the blocks placed between the points of the star must be in the same order, with one possible exception which is here n after to be explained in the further description of the manner of completing the game.

In the drawing forming a part of this ap plication like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of acompleted hexagon made with blocks of the game apparatus, showing one manner of arranging the same. Fig. 2 is a block having five black and five red pips arranged thereon. Fig. 3 is a neutral block having the character of naught or zero. Fig. 4 is the highest block of one of the players having twenty black pips.

The game apparatus consists of a plurality of diamond shaped blocks all of the same size and color provided with characters denoting the number of the block, except one block which has the character of naught or zero. The characters are colored, red, black and yellow being used in this description to distinguish the blocks of the competing players, as for instance the block 10 provided with black pips 11*, would represent one of the players, the block l0 provided with red blocks as they do not p l b g to either player.

The game apparatus consists of sixty diamond shaped blocks differing from each other in the following manner: There are twenty-four blocks having black pips, and twenty-four blocks having red pips described as follows: one block with ten black pips and one block with ten red pips, one block with twenty black pips and one block with twenty red pips, three blocks with one black pip and three blocks with one red pip, four blocks with two black pips and four blocks with two red pips, four blocks with three black pips and four blocks with three red pips, four blocks with four black pips and four blocks with four red pips, four blocks with five black pips and four blocks with five red pips, and four blocks with six black pips and four blocks with six red pips, making a total of fifty blocks. There are two additional blocks each having five black and five red pips as shown in Fig. 5. There are also one block each of number 1, 2, 3, at, 5,

l0 and 20 having yellow pips, and one block having the character of naught or zero. The blocks having red pips and the blocks having black pips represent the competing players, and before beginning to play the players must decide which shall play for the black and which shall play for the red, for as the game proceeds all points that are made with blocks having black pips count for the player that is playing for black and all points that are made with blocks having red pips count for the player that is playing for red. In playing the game the blocks are placed on the table in such a manner as to form a hexagon of twelve blocks, each player in turn playing three times if he can. The blocks must be initially arranged to form a star, said blocks being in consecutive order, according to the number of pips on the blocks from one to six, reading clockwise as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, the additional blocks being then. arranged between the extremities of the star to complete the hexagon.

The game may be played by two, four. six or eight persons but in this description I will representthe game as being played by influence of other plays that are given a higher value. These blocks containing dif ferent color pips of the competing players are known as mixed specials, and like the number ten and twenty specials they can only be played as the last block in completing the hexagon. Now to explain the use 01'. these blocks it will be observed that three hexagons are built up and perhaps a special has been played in each of them. If a twenty point special has been played in one hexagon and a mixed special has been played in another one of them, then the mixed special by the influence of the twenty point special will be raised to a value of ten points, corresponding to the color of the pips of the twenty point special. It might here be stated that the blocks having yellow characters or pips have no other value as to points. The mixed special then having a value or ten points will take the hexagon under the same rule as A took the hexagon as shown in the views. If A had played a twenty-point special in one hexagon, B a twenty point special in another hexagon, while in the third hexagon a mixed special had been played then the mixed special would not be affected for the reason that the influence of the competing twenty point specials would counter-balance each other.

After three hexagons have been completed there are four plays that would likely change the whole aspect of the game. Neutrals will be introduced, though having no value as to points, have the power to take or annul points that have been made. They are played on the top of the hexagon and if a special has been played in the hexagon they will be placed directly on top of such special. Only four of the neutral blocks are used in this capacity and described as follows: a block having five yellow pips, a block having ten yellow pips, a block having twenty yellow pips, and a block having yellow characters naught or zero. A neutral number five may be played on the top of any hexagon in which there is no block of a higher value than five points, and when so played, it will take, for the one playing it, all points that have been made in the hexagon. Thus if A plays a neutral number 5 on top of a hexagon in which he may have a number of five point blocks, and B a number of five point blocks, the neutral will take all of Bs blocks giving A the entire hexagon. A number 10 neutral may be played on top of any hexagon, except one in which a twenty point special has been played, and when so played it will take such hexagon for the one playing it. This would include a hexagon in which a number five neutral had been played, thus B could play a number ten neutral on top of the neutral that A had played and take the hexagon from A. A

number twenty neutral may be'played on top of any hexagon and take the hexagon for the one playing it. This would include the hexagon on which number five and number ten had been played. Thus Acould play a number twenty on top of a number ten that B had played and retake the hexagon from B. If a mixed special has been played in the hexagon and the hexagon then taken by a twenty point special in another hexagon, the number twenty neutral played on top of such twenty point special would take both hexagons. The influence of the number twenty neutral will extend as far as the influence of the twenty point special. The last play that can be made is a block having a yellow character of naught or zero called a nullifier for it has the power to annul all points that have been made on the hexagon in which it is played. It may be played on top of any hexagon which would include the hexagon on which the blocks number five, ten and twenty have been played. Thus B could play the nullifier on top of number twenty that A had played and annul or destroy the entire hexagon. If the nullifier is played on top of a twenty point special it will annul the hexagon in which the twenty point special has been played and also such other hexagon or hexagons that the twenty point special may have taken. The influence of the nullifier will extend as far as the influence of the twenty point special. The last four plays must be made from the blocks that the players hold when the three hexagons have been completed for the drawing then ceases. The plays must be made in the order named if made at all. If a player. holds a block number five and does not wish to play he shall announce to the other players that he holds such a block and that he will not play. The next block to play is number ten and if number ten is not played number twenty is played. Then lastly the nullifier. The final count is now made and the player that has the most points in the three hexagons is the winner of the game. If the players choose to add this feature, they may require each player to turn down all blocks that have not been played, and all five point blocks that each player has drawn of his own color and has failed to play shall be counted for his opponent. If this feature is made a part of the game it must be so decided before the game begins. Also if the players wish to do so they may agree on a certain number of points to constitute a game, such as three hundred or five hundred, and in such case it will require more than one count to complete the game.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is 1. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of diamond shaped blocks, each having one or more pips thereon, except one block having the character of Zero, and said pips being of different color to divide said blocks into independent series.

2. .A game apparatus comprising a plurality of diamond shaped blocks having one or more pips thereon, said pips being colored to represent the competing players, and neutral blocks having still difi'erent colors of pipsthereon.

3. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of diamond shaped blocks having one or more pips thereon, except one block having the character of naught or Zero, said pips being of different colors to represent the competing players, and neutral blocks having various numbers of pips thereon of a still different color.

i. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of diamond shaped blocks having one or more pips thereon, said pips being of different colors to represent the competing players, and other blocks each having pips of both of the competing players.

5. A game apparatus comprising a series of diamond shaped blocks, said blocks having various numbers of pips, the pips being colored to represent the blocks of the competing players, neutral blocks having a still different color of pips, and still other blocks each having pips of both of the competing players.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES F. DREYER.

Witnesses MAnsHALL TI-IATGHER, EDWARD F. BEALL.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. G. 

